The year was 1984, and I was a 26-year-old at loose ends. I'd moved back to California after sowing my wild oats in Alaska, and was having lunch with an acquaintance who happened to be a mover and shaker with the local Laborers' International Union. The pressure was on to bring more women into the building trades, and he didn't need to do much arm-twisting to get me to sign up. While my father was alive, he'd been a proud member of Operating Engineers Local 3, so I was familiar with construction work, and the pay was $16 a hour - much more than I was making picking up shifts as a bartender at the local watering hole. Beyond that, I was convinced that I'd be fighting feminism on the front lines - something I'd previously done through political activism.
It was a fight - one that I battled for three years. There was the understandable resentment from the guys inching close to retirement, for whom the "light" job of traffic control (being a flagger) was usually reserved. Foremen and superintendents who didn't know what to do with women stuck flags in our hands and told us to keep the traffic at bay, forcing the older guys to spend another day grinding their already broken-down bodies. There was the veiled hostility from those who pretended I wasn't there and the overt hostility from those members of other building trades who would stand on the sidelines and harass me while I wrestled a piece of compacting equipment into submission. Eventually, there was the grudging respect of crew members, borne out of spending too many sweltering days together, virtually ankle deep in hot asphalt.
Like many construction jobs, mine rode the roller coaster of good times and bad. The overtime and $1,000 a week paychecks alternated with weeks where I only had a day or two of work and the rainy season where I had no work at all. I ultimately moved back into political activism, never experiencing the arc that a lifetime of construction work brings.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though many of my "sisters" are following a path into the building trades, either. The U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau still lists many construction jobs as "nontraditional occupations for women," and the numbers bear out that assessment. As of 2003 (the latest year for which statistics are available), women comprised only three percent of the population of construction laborers, slightly over one percent of operating engineers, and less than one percent of masons.
It's difficult to know if women today are facing the same obstacles that existed when I worked in construction over two decades ago, or if other factors come into play. Organizations like the nonprofit Women in the Building Trades are trying to break through the concrete ceiling by offering women introductory classes, pre-apprenticeships, and ongoing support for entering the building trades, but it appears as though progress is slow.
It's a shame that the building trades haven't embraced women, and that women are, to a large extent, still fighting it out on the front lines. Construction jobs - particularly those that are unionized - are exactly what many women need in order to support their families and move out of the category of "working poor."
Till a few years back people with adverse credit pasts found it practically impossible to get themselves any financial help via loans. Today, however, the entire scene has transformed into one that’s more liberal and one that offers opportunity to everyone. Taking the lead in this new method of reaching out to individuals in a financial crisis is an Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loan.
Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loans offer you abundant opportunity, especially if you are someone with bad credit or adverse credit. Adverse credit is something that gets tagged to you if you’ve suffered bankruptcies, arrears, unpaid loan instalments, county court judgements, etc. Once a defaulter, the title sticks to you and makes it very difficult to gain financial help in the future. Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loans change this train of thought and give the very opportunity you’re looking for.
Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loans necessitate collateral. This collateral calls for the lender to neglect your bad credit statement and allows you the benefits of a regular secured loan. With Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loans you can reap the same benefits of low interest rates and flexible repayments. Collateral, for these loans must be in the form of high-valued assets like your home, car, bank account, important documents, etc. Once these assets are in temporary possession of you lender, you can claim your rights like everyone else.
Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loans are meant to create an opportunity for you�"to help you financially and also to help you better your credit score. If you make your repayments on time, this will only clear your name from the defaulters list gradually. If you are unsure of your repayment capacity, think again before taking the loan. If you fail to repay yet again, you’ll find yourself in the worst debt trap ever.
Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loans typically offer you loan amounts ranging from £5000 to £100000. The amount approved will depend on the equity in your collateral. Their loan terms vary between 5 and 25 years, however, the longer the term, more is the interest you end up paying in the long run.
Almost all lenders offer Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loans today. These loans are more of a necessity with everyone falling into debt, getting out of it and then carrying the ‘defaulter’ tag with them. Adverse Credit Secured Personal Loans are available online too. In fact, an online search will yield much more than a physical search. Remember to weigh all your options before signing any documents and committing yourself. The better your search, the more you gain!
Both Chris Robertson & Marsha Claire are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.